Maynard makes changes to downtown parking

Thursday

May 17, 2018 at 4:15 PMMay 17, 2018 at 4:15 PM

The town of Maynard is announcing a temporary change to downtown parking enforcement.

A pilot program to help assess the need and style of the future of downtown parking will begin Monday, May 14 and end Friday, July 20. Parking meters in the pilot area of downtown will be covered so they no longer accept coins. Parking will be managed through a two-hour limit at spaces with covered meters. Enforcement hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The pilot is an outcome of a study of Maynard’s downtown parking capacity conducted in 2017 by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). The Maynard Economic Development Committee, town planner, and the Maynard Police Department reviewed the study recommendations and created this program to better understand the impact of changes before implementing a permanent solution.

Jack MacKeen, chairman of the Maynard Economic Development Committee (EDC), stated, “The study recommended that the town manage parking differently before considering adding more spaces. New spaces will be expensive but getting people from available spaces to their destinations through our very walkable downtown is manageable and shouldn’t be expensive. This pilot is an attempt to model one possible way to manage parking differently.”

For the duration of the pilot, covered metered parking spaces along Main and Nason streets and in the central parking area will be limited to two hours per day. This should enable patrons to access local businesses from nearby spaces. Those requiring longer term parking – employees of businesses downtown, for example, may park in the municipal spaces on River Street, behind the CVS, and in the Summer Street lot, as well as at metered spaces on Summer and Walnut streets. These spaces will not have a two-hour limit imposed.

Patrons will park for free in the pilot area, however, those parking for longer than two hours may receive an overtime parking violation notice of $15.

Town Planner Bill Nemser explains the thinking is for all day/evening parking, mostly for employees/owners, the slightly longer walk is hardly a change.

“Think of how far you walk at a traditional mall or even a large strip mall. Our entire downtown is smaller than many malls, both indoor and outdoor styles,” he stated. “Enabling customers, the convenience of parking closer should be a win for business owners and customers alike.”

The Maynard Police Department and Economic Development Committee will evaluate program results after July 20 to determine whether it is an appropriate solution to our parking management concerns.